NewsBTC Interview with tipUp.me
1) First of all, tell us a little bit about what tipUp.me is all about.
tipUp.me helps people easily top-up their ChangeTip accounts using a credit or debit card. We call this a tip-up. Previously, the only other ways to add to ChangeTip were from already existing Bitcoin addresses or by signing up through exchanges like Coinbase, funding a wallet, and then funding a ChangeTip account. Especially in the latter use case, we felt that this was too many steps and a potentially complex barrier to entry for many new users to navigate, especially those who do not know anything about Bitcoin.We built tipUp.me to solve this problem and make this process as easy as possible.
2) The bitcoin space is growing fast, where do you see tipUp.me fitting into the overall infrastructure?
We feel that ChangeTip is not only one of the most innovative companies in the Bitcoin space, but in the entire financial technology sector as well. We’ve focused on one specific and integral solution – making it incredibly easy for people, especially new users, to purchase a small amount of prepaid credit to begin using ChangeTip. So far, 42% of all of the traffic that comes to our site requests an invite – we see that as a good indicator that we’re focusing in the right place.
3) Is there anybody at the company that are users may be interested to hear are involved?
The founder, Will Binns, is a former maintainer of Bitcoin.org – the original Bitcoin website domain that was registered by Satoshi Nakamoto. He was also a product manager at Blockchain.info where he lead work on Blockchain.com as well as much of their online marketing and user acquisition efforts leading into their Bitcoin wallet.
4) How does the technology work?
It’s pretty simple – users top-up their ChangeTip account with a major credit or debit card by purchasing a prepaid tip-up. We then automatically send this amount to their ChangeTip account.
5) Where do you see bitcoin in 10 years – first in terms of value and second in terms of where it will fitting into both online and off-line commerce?
In terms of value, we look at total venture capital investment since inception – we firmly believe that in 10 years Bitcoin will be worth much more than it is today. Using Coinbase as an example, would you invest $75 million in something if you thought it was going to be worth around the same or less in 10 years? :)Commerce-wise, we believe in 10 years that Bitcoin will have just as much utility – if not more – as the Internet does for businesses and consumers.
6) What, as bitcoin enthusiasts, should we be doing to get ourselves prepared for this future you speak of?
We need to improve the user experience across the board, for investors, developers, merchants and end-users alike so that they can get involved in any context with the technology and currency, as easily as possible.
7) How can our users find out more about your company/technology/service?
Visit Us Online: http://tipUp.me/
8) Is there anything you’d like to add?
We love NewsBTC and really appreciate you all taking this opportunity to cover us! Please have a beer (cc @ChangeTip) on us this weekend! 😉
Images from Wikipedia.